A
struggling veteran reads about the mysterious death of a local athlete and
wants to learn more. He meets the owner of the business linked to the crime and
discovers others have “disappeared”.

All stories include a
man with dark hair, blue eyes, and a strong jaw.

Then, it’s his turn.

The mysterious forces
at Bliss change everything. What brought them all to Bliss is not as it appears
and their lives are powerfully interconnected across space and time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt:

September 20, 2013

Greg’s mind didn’t follow his body into the coffee house.
His mind was still on the fact that with a few strokes of a pen, he had undone
everything that he worked towards. The exhilaration of that definitive step was
quickly replaced by a growing sense of unease. It wasn’t his style to pull the
trigger, figuratively or literally, without having a game plan. Then again, he
didn’t need a game plan, he needed a life plan. One step at a time. He
chastised himself as he joined the line of caffeine-craving citizens.

The newspapers near the door caught his attention. All of
the headlines contained some variation of the same - Local Sports Legend Found
Dead at 27.

Ha, Legend at 27? Greg thought. I'm 29, and no one’s calling
me a legend. Survived a bomb in Afghanistan…haunted by the nightmares…soon to
be an Ellison family disappointment when everyone learns what I did, and a guy
who played basketball is considered a legend…at 27? He looked around the coffee
house. Half of the people in line were double that age. At best - maybe - they
were a legend in their own minds. Greg's self-loathing got ahead of his
caffeine fix. He distracted himself with one of the newspapers.

MIKEL THOMAS DEAD AT 27

Greg studied the series of pictures of the same man, as a
teen in a high school basketball uniform, in a college uniform, and in a
professional one. The line for coffee at 8:30 in the morning was nearly out the
door, so it gave Greg time to flip through the story.

Mikel Thomas, 27, was found in his
West Los Angeles home Thursday night. His wife, Nisha, found Thomas bleeding
from an apparent, self-inflicted gunshot wound when she returned home from a
taping of her talk show. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Greg caught up with the line's progress and continued to
read.

Thomas, a professional basketball
player, had a troubled career in Philadelphia, Miami, and Sacramento. He
attended Pasadena High School where an injury forced him to give up a promising
football career. Thomas began playing basketball as a junior and became a top
college recruit. He attended college in Los Angeles before being drafted to
Philadelphia.

Shoulda played sports. Greg thought.

Thomas was involved in a shooting
incident that left one dead after he was traded to Miami. His repeated
altercations on and off the court led to a suspension. After a trade to
Sacramento, Thomas missed part of the season for an undisclosed medical
condition following a mental evaluation in a Pasadena hospital last Christmas.
Thomas had a history of drug and alcohol incidents, but detectives declined to
comment on that being a possible cause. The investigation continues.

Pretty standard celeb drama. Greg barely registered the
comments from the player's wife and a teammate about the shock of it all. He
caught up with the coffee line and skimmed further.

Mary Thomas, Mikel's mother, called
into a sports radio show late Thursday. When asked if there was any indication
that Thomas was in trouble, she responded. "He kept saying that his
disappearance from that Bliss bar changed him forever. It was that crazy bar
that killed him. I know it."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Janelle Jalbert
has ghostwritten 15 nonfiction books on topics ranging from productivity, money
management, marketing, cooking, and relationships. She also worked as a
copywriter for some of the biggest online names and worked as a motorsports
reporter covering NASCAR. Jalbert enjoys bringing stories to life that
celebrate the magic in everyday living. To learn more about her current and
upcoming releases and promotions visit www.janellejalbert.com. Jalbert
currently lives in Southern California, though she regularly returns to her
second home in North Carolina when her pack of pups grants her a vacation.

Thursday, July 30, 2015

This book is dedicated to all our loyal fans and readers who give our work purpose…….and it will be our dirty little secret…

Naughty is as naughty does. And if there is any virtue seeking its own reward, it will not be found here. What will be found is a collection of awesome author excerpts, a box of saucy, delectable samples, a tasty bounty of tantalizing teasers. And there is no reward quite like self-indulgence; virtue be damned.

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

After being shamed for her
dominant desires too many times, Christine has resolved never to date a vanilla
man again. She needs a man who knows he's submissive, and she's determined to
hold out until she finds one.

Until she meets Sam, that is.
Christine can't bring herself to turn down the handsome parkour aficionado, so
instead she tries to scare him off with an intensely kinky first date.

When Sam meets her extreme
challenges head-on, Christine must decide if he can become the man to serve her
every need—in the bedroom, and in her life.

Even seeing only her back, Sam
had no trouble recognizing Christine as he carried a sack of dirty clothes into
the basement laundry room of his new apartment building. He’d liked her tall,
thick frame the moment he’d caught her watching him, and he liked the way she
moved. She folded clothes with sure, clean gestures. He’d been an athlete for
enough of his life that he could immediately spot a woman in full control of
her body and presence.

He hefted the laundry onto his
shoulder and assumed a casual stance. He made his movements feel easy so they would look easy. “Christine.”

She turned. He liked that she
didn’t jump. Maybe she knew he was coming.

He saw her reacting to him—gaze
flicking down his body, body shifting to emphasize her hip. Her eyes were
fierce, not welcoming. She looked as if she might be about to set him on fire.
Apart from that, though, her nod was polite and distant.

Stretching and making a show of
it, he set the laundry down beside a free machine. He didn’t know what to think
of the contradictions he read in her body language. He was intrigued and wanted
to get to know her. She, on the other hand, wasn’t being clear about what she
wanted. He couldn’t tell if she was hoping he’d strike up a conversation or
wishing he’d drop his clothes into the wash and get the hell out.

Sam had been raised in the type
of family that communicated in code, and he didn’t like it. The only way he
knew to make sense of the world was to speak his mind. “You up for company?”

She hesitated. “I think so,” she
said finally.

“I’m glad.” His voice came out
softer than he’d intended, his tone deferent.

There was something about
Christine that made him want to address her that way. He stole glances as he
started a washer. She dressed professionally, but not in an imposing way. Her
body looked strong, but her shoulders were relaxed, her face at ease. She
didn’t loom or intimidate, though he imagined she could if she wanted to. She
had big, dark eyes and rich, brown skin. Her features weren’t delicate—he liked
the bold lines of her nose and jaw—but neither were they harsh. The only hint
of real severity he could see was in the way she wore her hair—straightened to
within an inch of its life and sharply restrained.

She laughed. "Afraid
not." Sam wondered if she was warming to him, but she was still so
difficult to read. He hated the idea of lingering where he wasn’t wanted.

“Look,” he said. “I’d like to get
to know you. I’d like to take you out sometime. Are you interested?” He had a
nice Italian restaurant in mind if she said yes. If she said no, he’d ignore
the flickers of interest he kept feeling from her.

Sam stepped back, holding up his
hands. “I asked because I wanted to know your answer,” he said, the words low
and even. “If you’re not, it’s cool. I won’t bother you about it.” He’d be
disappointed, of course, but he wasn’t the kind of jerk who would try to make a
woman feel guilty about turning him down.

Christine reached toward him but
dropped her arm just before she made contact. “You couldn’t handle me.”

Sam probably should have walked
away at that point, but he’d noticed the way she’d almost touched him and the
stubborn part of him couldn’t let the challenge pass. “What do you mean, I
couldn’t handle you?”

Familiar anger rose to his
chest. In high school, everyone had assumed he was a nerd because he was
Chinese. He’d been told he wouldn’t be able to handle being on the football
team, wouldn’t be able to handle American-style boxing—though everyone also
seemed to expect him to be an expert at Wing Chun—and wouldn’t be able to
handle going with the other guys on the team to play pranks on the local
rivals.

Sam had responded to each of
those challenges by proving his doubters wrong, doing everything better and
harder than the people who had questioned him. He’d given up on obligatory
popular sports to focus on parkour, but there was still a part of him that
thrilled each time he pulled off a difficult move, exulting that, yet again,
he’d shown them.

Christine’s skin darkened with a
blush, but she lifted her chin defiantly. “I’m kinky, okay? I doubt you’re
ready for that.”

Sam blinked. “Wow, okay. That
seems like something we could sort out after we go on a date and find out if we
like each other. No need to jump ahead.”

“No point.” She shook her head,
the gesture firm and dismissive. “It’s a waste of time to get to know each
other if we’re just going to wind up incompatible.”

“Really?” Sam bristled. It
irritated him when women assumed a Chinese guy wouldn’t know anything about
sex, and he hoped that wasn’t what was going on. “I have heard about that book, you know. The one all the women are
reading.”

“No, that’s not what I’m talking
about. I like to be the one on the handle end of the flogger. You don’t want
it, trust me.”

Sam had almost no idea what that
entailed, but he pressed, annoyed that she’d presumed to tell him what he would
and wouldn’t want. “How do you know? Talk to me about it first. Try me.”

“If you don’t already know about
it, it’s just not going to work. I promise.”

Sam had never been aware of an
interest in kink, but he couldn’t stand assumptions. “Tell me straight-out what
you want to do,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’ll tell you
whether or not I want to do it.”

Christine stared as if he’d
suggested a really strange plan. It reminded Sam of so many movies he’d seen,
times when characters acted like telling the truth was such an odd and original
thing to come up with. “I don’t know…” she said.

He grabbed his now-empty laundry
bag. The fabric snapped as he yanked it through the air. The fresh, warm scent
pouring from the dryers seemed sour in that moment. “Or turn me down. Just
don’t tell me what I can and can’t handle.”

Again, she moved as if she
wanted to take hold of his wrist and stop him. Sam paused, trying to make it
clear he would let her if that was what she wanted to do. They were still for a
while, and then he gave up and walked to the door.

“Wait,” Christine said before he
could leave.

“Yeah?”

“Maybe. Do you use IM? Can we
talk later?”

He shrugged. “Sure.” This was
probably another part of the brush-off. Maybe she thought it would be nicer if
she offered to chat online. He didn’t particularly like that tactic, but he
didn’t feel like criticizing it now. Without expecting to hear from her again,
he gave her his username.

Annabeth Leong wears high heels and frequents the former
haunts of H.P. Lovecraft. She is obsessed with baseball and marine life, and is
an enthusiastic member of New England Feet. She is frequently confused about
her sexuality, but enjoys searching for answers. Her work appears in more than
50 anthologies, including Best Bondage
Erotica 2013, 2014, and 2015, Best
Women's Erotica 2015, and Best Erotic
Romance 2014 and 2015. She is the
author of a number of erotic novels, ranging from sweet to dark. Find Annabeth
online at annabetherotica.com, and on Twitter @AnnabethLeong

If you’re in the mood for a quickie (ahem), you’ll love this collection of eleven sexy short stories from New York Times and USA Today bestselling erotic romance author, Shoshanna Evers —“Queen of the erotic novellas.” (Fandom Fanatic). This collection pulls Evers’ published stories together from nine different anthologies into one volume. Includes a never-before-published story, plus the bestselling Overheated!

Susan giggled and grabbed the suspenders hanging down his hips on either side of his uniform. “You don’t need these to keep your pants on right now, you know that, right?”

Trent grinned and sat down in the grass, looking up into the smoky night sky just as she had done not moments before. “You want me to get buck-naked right here?”

“More than anything.”

Trent pulled off his boots, tossing them to the side. Susie watched with anticipation, running her tongue over her lower lip.

“This ain’t no show,” he teased. “Tit for tat, baby. Take off your shirt for me.”

Susan pulled it up over her head so quickly she heard a seam rip. F*ck it. She couldn’t get out of her clothes and onto her man fast enough, as far as she was concerned. All those hours worrying, wondering… she kicked off her shoes, shimmying out of her jeans.

Trent stared at her as he pulled his pants off too, the reflective stripes gleaming in the dark, and stood up. He looked tall and dark and almost menacing in a sexy-as-hell way, naked and sweaty and streaked with soot, standing in front of her. The look in his eyes made her feel desirable. Needed.

God knows she needed him, too.

“I was so scared, Trent,” she admitted.

“Yeah, me too,” he pulled her into his arms, his sweat-slicked chest rubbing against her breasts, her nipples immediately hardening into tight buds.

“You were scared?” The thought never occurred to her, somehow, that a man as big and strong and courageous as Trent could ever be scared of anything.

“Yeah. Scared I was never going to get the chance to see you again.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Shoshanna Evers has written dozens of sexy stories, including The Man Who Holds the Whip (part of the NYT bestselling MAKE ME anthology), I Am Not Your Melody (from the NYT bestselling Cowboy 12-Pack), Beauty & the Beast: an erotic reimagining (from the USA Today bestselling Wicked Hot Reads), The Enslaved Trilogy and The Pulse Trilogy from Simon & Schuster Pocket Star, and the national bestseller, The Tycoon’s Convenient Bride...and Baby.

Her work has been featured in Best Bondage Erotica 2012 and Best Bondage Erotica 2013, the Penguin/Berkley Heat anthology Agony/Ecstasy, and numerous erotic BDSM novellas including Chastity Belt and Punishing the Art Thief, originally from Ellora’s Cave Publishing.

The non-fiction anthology Shoshanna Evers edited and contributed to, How To Write Hot Sex, is a #1 Bestseller in the Authorship, Erotica Writing Reference, and Romance Writing categories.

Shoshanna is also the cofounder of SelfPubBookCovers.com, the largest selection of one-of-a-kind, premade book covers in the world.

Shoshanna is a New York native who now lives with her family and three big dogs in Northern Idaho. She welcomes emails from readers and writers, and loves to interact on Twitter and Facebook.

Monday, July 27, 2015

Thank you so much for hosting me on your blog today, and sharing my newest release with your readers!

Stirring Up Dirty was a lot of fun to write. Great and enjoyable characters, stubborn as all get-out, and secondary characters I've come to love too. It is the first of the Stirred by Love Series, but also connected to DARE, which is also available at Evernight Publishing! It is the story that first introduced Candy, so be sure to check that out too!

Candy Wilson arrives in St. Albert with one mission—to sign the next young, hot model to her modeling agency. She has no time for distractions and isn’t prepared for bartender Eric McKenna—the brother of her young client-to-be, Melissa. Eric challenges her on all counts, irritates her daily, and heats her body to boiling temperatures with just one touch. He’s hard to ignore and impossible to resist.

Eric McKenna will be damned if his baby sister signs any contracts with Candy Wilson. No way in hell will he allow anyone to whisk Melissa off to a foreign country and lead her on a path that’s not right for her. And yet Candy pushes him further than he’s ever been before and drives him crazy. Eric can’t control his need for her or the desire to engage with her … on so many levels.

There was no way she’d tell Melissa she had the hots for her oldest brother. “All is good. Is there anything I can help you with, though? I waited tables once. A lot of years ago, but I’d be happy to help.” Besides, it would get her mind off the hot-blooded male behind the bar who made her want to hop over it and take him right there. A full room of customers or not.
“No. Absolutely not. I didn’t ask you to meet me here so I could put you to work.” Melissa glanced over her shoulder when one of the customers yelled for her and raised one finger. She turned back to Candy. “Maybe we should meet tomorrow?”
Candy nodded. “Sounds good. Come by my hotel, okay? But for now,” she slid from the booth, “put me to work. What can I do?”
Melissa stood and hugged her, then pointed to the corner. “Well, I’m behind in getting out more nuts. The bowls on the bar and tables need refilling. I have enough to get some done now, but we’ll be closing in an hour and will need more. If you don’t mind, could you grab some?”
“Not at all.”
“Thank you so much. They’re on the very back wall, third shelf from the bottom.” Another customer hollered for Melissa’s attention. “Thanks again,” she said before hurrying off.
The girl was meant for bigger and better. Not that there was anything wrong with working hard for a living, but her long and lean figure, her regal neckline and great posture would be better served on a runway or in a magazine than hustling from table to table.
She strode across the room to the side door Melissa had directed her to. The door was ajar, held open with a small wooden crate. She pushed the crate inside and entered, shutting the door behind her.
“Damn it. Who let the door close? Drew, fuck, you know better.” The masculine voice from somewhere in the back startled her. Thankfully she recognized the voice or she’d have been screaming bloody murder about being locked in a room with a stranger.
“Sorry, Eric. It’s Candy. I closed the door.” She moved further into the room and around one large utility shelving unit.
“Christ, what the hell are you doing in here?”
She found him near the back wall, piling boxes of what looked like the nuts she had to find on a small cart.
“I was giving Melissa a hand.” She pointed at the item in his hand. “I was going to take them out for her, for after closing, and give her a hand.”
He snorted, set down the case and reached for another one. “I don’t think a woman like you would be into this type of work. Don’t want you breaking a nail or anything like that.”
“Oh shut up, dickhead. You’re so pompous.”
He raised his head and glared at her.
“Don’t look at me like that, either. I’m no stranger to hard work.” She scanned the room. Jesus, wasn’t there air-conditioning in this little closet? She pulled at the neckline of her scoop neck top. “Anything else I can help with?”
Eric set aside the last case and leaned against the shelf. His arms crossed over his chest, and Candy tried to ignore the bulging biceps that stood out beneath the sleeves of his grey t-shirt.
Ah, hell.
Her heart skipped and her pussy throbbed. Just when she thought she’d shoved the need for him aside, he had to go and look all manly and tasty standing there.
“I thought you were here to whisk my sister off somewhere?” She hated that he could see right through her plans. “Or are you here for a job? No longer young enough for those crazy sharks in magazines these days?”
Oh the bastard knew how to cut her to the quick. She wasn’t a washed-up has-been, but her time in the fashion and modeling limelight had come and gone. “You really need to let go of that high-and-mighty attitude. You know nothing about me. Now,” she waved her arms, “anything here need to be taken out front?”
He smirked, and she wanted to slap him. But he shrugged and pointed to the shelf above her head. “I need that red box there brought down. The blue one beside it too. They aren’t heavy, just napkins.”
She nodded and lifted her arms. In her six-inch heels it was hard to reach so high, and she widened her stance for better balance. The tips of her fingers eased the red box closer to the edge for her to grab the sides. She lowered it and set it on the stack of cases he had on the cart.
“I’m glad I can help. Melissa looked a bit frazzled out there. She is a hard worker.”
He coughed. “We all grew up working hard.”
Candy reached for the blue box and nodded. “It seems like a great family unit that you all have.” Crap, this one was a bit farther back. She felt a breeze cross her skin as her top rose, baring her midriff. She wobbled on her heels. Shit. That’s all she needed was to fall on her ass while in a skirt and look like a fool.
Warm hands suddenly circled her waist. Gasping, she drew in a deep breath and grabbed on to the shelf with both hands as he touched her.
“Easy there, darlin’. Those heels aren’t exactly made for working.” His searing breath washed over her neck. Electric currents spread along her skin, igniting and firing to life. Goddamn, goddamn.

Bio:
Avid Reader. Romance Author. Redhead…
Canadian-born author Kacey Hammell is definitely a book-a-holic. A romance reader from a young age, she fell in love with happily ever afters. These days, as a multi- published erotic romance author, she enjoys adding a lot of heat, sass, and emotion to the many genres she writes.

Mom of three, Kacey lives her own happily ever after with her perfect hero in Ontario, Canada.

Sunday, July 26, 2015

The rules are simple. Eight words, eight sentences, or eight paragraphs from an existing book or a work in progress. Want to join in the fun? You can find the rules and the sign up for next week on the main blog page.

I turn back to Aaron, but he’s staring at Michael, and his mouth seeks Michael’s over my shoulder. The two men share a deep kiss that surprises me, yet thrills me at the same time. I feel that kiss down to my toes. Aaron’s cock swells against my belly, and Michael’s erection presses against my ass. I can’t help wondering if they’re hard for me, or each other, and it intimidates me. They already know how to please each other. How do I fit in? But a few seconds of watching their masculine lip lock takes my arousal up another notch, and I forget everything else. I can’t help moaning.

BLURB

Maggie’s troubled past makes her seal off her heart. She shuts everyone out, and puts all her energy into work, but suddenly, she’s having erotic fantasies about her two bosses. They’re perfect. Good-looking, intelligent, caring… Everything a woman could want. But they only have eyes for each other.

Michael and Aaron have been a couple since college, but one thing is missing from their relationship. They’re bisexual and they miss having a woman in their lives. Maggie would be the perfect addition to their family. She’s beautiful, smart, compassionate… But they’re sure she’ll never accept their unconventional lifestyle.

Saturday, July 25, 2015

For readers who love urban fantasy and paranormal romance, I have a #NewRelease treat for you! FAERIE FATE releases July 22, 2015 from Evernight Publishing.

Blurb:

Holly Spencer is a 22-year-old IT major who’s ready to graduate and find her place in the world. What she really wants is a good job and a condo with a view.

But when she’s rescued twice in one day by a mysterious man who claims to be a fae warrior, she’s plunged into a world she grew up believing existed only in fairy tales, and forced to run for her life from warring factions who all want her dead.

Shadow’s on a routine mission when he runs headlong into Holly--the soul mate he’d given up on ever finding. Even though she refuses to believe they’re meant for each other, he fights to protect her from the very thing that brought them together, even when it means making a dangerous deal with Fate to save her life.

Holly struggles with being told who she’s supposed to love. Shouldn’t it be her choice?

But as little by little Shadow kindles her passions and wins her trust, Holly realizes that a life with Shadow may very well be just where she belongs.

BOOK LINKS

EXCERPT

She still had to face the things that caused her fear, and as much as Shadow made her feel safe, she couldn’t quite let go of the responsibility of taking care of herself. She couldn’t in good conscience give him any hope when she had no idea what she faced in the next few days. That kind of trust required more than she was ready to give just yet. Still, resisting the temptation to give in to their attraction was becoming more and more difficult.

“I know you’ll do everything you can to protect my life, and if I survive this mission, we can talk about my heart,” she said, resting her head on his chest.

“You’ll survive,” he said. “I’ve already saved you twice. I’ll do it as many times as I need to.”

“As I recall, the last time it was a team effort,” Holly teased. “If I hadn’t shifted form, you wouldn’t have been able to carry me away.”

She heard his laugh rumble in his chest. “Very true. That just proves what a good team we are.” He pushed her back just a little to look her in the eyes, “And as I recall,” he said, a wicked grin spreading slowly across his lips, “the last time I saved you, you wore nothing but a smile. Is that going to be a habit?”

“You wish. What does that have to do with anything anyway?”

Still holding her close, he traced the line of her dress, down one shoulder, across the valley between her breasts, and back up again, making her shiver.

“Nothing. I was just thinking how impressive it was.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I write romance and science fiction, and I'm published with Entangled Publishing and Evernight Publishing.

Oregon Ducks fan.

Donut and pastry addict.

I like cats.

When I’m not writing you’ll find me in a college classroom teaching English, or working as a literary agent for an amazing agency…and of course, wrangling my family.